Masuk High School's Jack Roberge looks for an opening in a game against Bunnell High School, played at Masuk. Friday, Sept. 8, 2017

MONROE — In an era where the spread offense is in vogue, Jack Roberge represents a piece of the past. A powerful, downhill runner who would rather run through a would-be tackler than avoid one, Roberge is a breath of fresh air to everyone except the opponents whose job it is to stop him.

“He’s an old-school, hard-nosed runner,” Masuk quarterback Matt Hersch said Friday before practice. “An announcer was comparing him the other day to Herschel Walker.”

While Joe Lato doesn’t like to make comparisons, the Masuk coach is quick to echo the feelings of many of his peers on Roberge.

“Jack’s a pretty tough kid in between the tackles,” Lato said. “He would prefer to lower his shoulder rather than make a juke.”

That’s no secret to New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli, whose job it is this week to devise a plan to slow down the Panthers’ fearless running back in Sunday’s Class L semifinals. It was Roberge — all 5-foot-9, 195 pounds of him — who nearly took down Marinelli and the Rams a year ago in the quarterfinals, rushing for 140 yards and scoring three touchdowns in a 31-28 Panthers loss.

“He’s got such great balance and body control,” Marinelli said Thursday. “He’s fast and you can’t bring him down with just one guy. He’s got a bit of a bull to him.”

The Monroe high school is one of a growing number of teams to utilize the spread offense, but make no mistake, it’s Roberge whom the Panthers often rely on to set the tone, particularly out of their power-rushing “rock” formation. This season, Roberge has carried the ball 124 times for 1,163 yards, 126 of which came in the fifth-seeded Panthers’ 43-7 rout of Fitch in the quarterfinals. He’s also scored 15 touchdowns, 13 rushing.

“I like to think I can do a little bit of everything,” said Roberge, who also plays linebacker. “I do try to run hard.”

To understand what makes Roberge tick, one must take into account the junior’s tireless work ethic and pristine diet.

“He just tries to grab every inch possible,” Lato said. “So he’s going to lift, he’s going to eat right — he eats his dark chocolate. It’s some kind of chocolate he has the kids eating, too. It’s something with the oxygen stored in it. I don’t know what it is, but he’s into that scene, too.

“He eats very healthy and he trains very healthy. He’s all about being a great player.”

With Hersch noticeably hobbled and wide receiver Ryan Shaw expected to miss a second straight game with an undisclosed injury, Roberge’s importance on offense has only increased heading into Sunday. He’ll try to lead the Panthers, who are 10-1 and ranked ninth in the GameTimeCT/Register poll, to their first state final since 2010. The Rams, meanwhile, are in pursuit of a fifth straight state title. They’re 9-2 and ranked seventh in the state poll.

“Certainly we’re going to be challenged to try to stop (Roberge),” Marinelli said. “And I don’t know that anybody has stopped him yet.”

The Panthers monitored Roberge’s carries earlier in the year, with an eye on keeping him fresh for what they hoped would be a deep playoff run. Only once during the regular season did he receive more than 12 carries in a single game, yet he still rushed for more than 100 yards five times. He also caught 24 passes for 328 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“He does everything he can with every carry he gets,” Hersch said.

The Panthers are hoping he can make the most of his opportunities against New Canaan.